Page 12 of Quasim II: King Inferno

Capri broke out into laughter. “Listen, I’m ten toes down behind you, but I was prepared to take you to Lennox Memorial on a seventy-two-hour hold.”

We both needed this laugh with all that has happened. “It felt so real. She came and hugged me, told me that her father always dreams about me, and that he needs me. Even said she sent Elijah to her father.”

“Gams said the same thing, too. She says that Harley was responsible for Elijah coming into Sim’s life, and I believe it. That little boy needed him.”

I looked at his back as I sighed. “He needed him just as much. Harley mentioned that something happened to him, Capri.”

“What do you mean?”

“She ran off with her mother and mentioned she would take care of my son.” Tears pricked my eyes, as I tried to choke them back. “I don’t know what she meant. All I know is that Sim said that the woman I saw tossing that cocktail into the house was his mother.”

“His mother set a house on fire with her own damn son inside?” Capri hollered, trying to keep her attention between me and the highway.

“Yes. The first cocktail was the room that he was staying in. I don’t know if that was a coincidence or not. I also know that Quasim never let that woman in his home, so how would she know where to throw it?”

My head was spinning, thinking about what happened and why this mother would do that to her own child. I knewaddiction was something different, and at times, you weren’t thinking of anyone but yourself.

It had to be more than that.

Elijah’s mother was burning Sim’s house down for some bigger reason. Quasim was the head of the Inferno Gods, and he told me how he went over there to beat her boyfriend up a few times. She knew he wasn’t someone that you could play around with, and she still went and burned his home down.

“Yeah, I’m going to have Aimee look into her. I’m sure Sim doesn’t know anything more than her first name if that’s even her name.” Capri ran her hand through her hair.

“They hurt him, Pri… which means they hurt me.” I stared straight ahead at Quasim continuing down the highway while the rest of the IG’s kept the same pace with Capri’s car.

Midway through our drive, I had fallen asleep and woke up as we were pulling down Quasim’s block in the lakeside community. I leaned up and wiped the sleep out of my eyes as Capri put the car in park.

Both Meer and Sim sped into the driveway and killed the engine of their bikes before pulling their helmets off. Papa came in behind them and did the same, resting his helmet onto his bike, while looking at his sons.

He may have not said it often, but he was so proud of both Quasim and Quameer. There was this sense of pride in his eyes, the same look that Des Delgato had when he stared at his daughter and sons.

Meer went to speak to his father while Quasim walked over toward my side of the car. He helped me out the car and then pushed me against the side, kissing me on the lips. “How you feeling, my love?”

“Tired, and this lingering cough is annoying. Do you hear my voice?” I smiled, as he kissed my lips and every part of my face. “I didn’t think you would come pick me up.”

Quasim pulled back and raised his brow. “I’m always going to show up for you. Not when you want me to, but you don’t ever have to question that I’ll be there.”

I could see the stress and hurt in his eyes, although he tried to mask it for me and everyone else. He lost everything in that house fire, and here he was, trying to be strong for everyone. Quasim didn’t know any other way but to hold everything in and be the strength for his family.

He knew the moment that he lost control, everything would fall around him. It had always been him to catch whatever harm or stress that came to the family. As the eldest son and the head of the Inferno Gods, there was never a moment for him to be weak, even when he needed to be.

“Get her in the house so she can rest and not catch a cold. I made some soup, and Jean brought some tea, too,” Gams came out the house in her slippers with Elijah nearly clinging to her.

“Gams, it’s like ninety degrees out here,” Meer said, and she cut her eyes at him while Capri went over and hugged him.

He wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her face. Elijah saw me and his entire face lit up and he ran toward me, crashing into my body.

“Eli, we gotta be gentle with Ms. Blair,” Quasim said, as he rubbed his curls while he held onto me like he never wanted to let me go.

My chest hurt as I felt how tight he was holding onto my body, tears falling down my face. The last time I saw him, he was yelling outside the window, scared for me. He didn’t know what would happen to me or if I would live.

“Elijah, I am alright… it’s okay.” I tried to assure him as he pulled back, showing his face, wet from his tears.

Simmy looked at both of us, then looked away because I could tell he was becoming emotional. He stepped closer to usand kissed Elijah on the head and then me on the forehead as he held the both of us.

We both clung onto him like he would disappear from us. It was like all of the emotions from that night came pouring out of both me and Elijah as we held onto him. Quasim was the man that had saved us both. The man that had been so selfless and would do whatever to protect us. He was our protector, and I never wanted to lose him.

Recommendation: Hold You Down by Jennifer Lopez ft Fat Joe

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